Meet Holly
“Wait… she’s missing a leg?”
That’s usually how it goes when someone gets a good look at me.
My name is Holly. I’m a three-legged therapy dog.
You can often find me in the Pediatric Unit at Health Sciences North (HSN).
I go there because of the kids.
Some are scared. Some are having the best day they’ve had in weeks. And some just need someone to sit with them for a minute.
Whenever I turn a corner, I see it happen. Eyes sparkle. Shoulders drop. A kid who’s been quiet all morning suddenly can’t stop talking about “what a good girl” I am.
When we first started showing up at HSN, the noises scared me. The beeping from machines…like something was always about to go wrong.
But after hearing the nurses talking, I learned those machines are there to keep patients alive.
So now when I hear the beeps, I know what they mean: patients are getting the care they need at Health Sciences North, close to their loved ones.
If you could meet the kids and families at HSN, and every patient receiving care here, you’d understand why I never want to miss a visit.
There was one boy whose eyes went right to my missing leg, then his, then back to me. He leaned his forehead close to mine, asking if I still loved to run and play.
I wagged my tail. He sat back in his bed, saying “me too,” with the biggest smile.
And during every visit, there’s a mother holding a coffee gone cold. She’s still in yesterday’s sweater. She’s waiting for results of a test for her kid. So I put my chin on her lap and just wait with her.
None of them had to leave the North for any of it. It was right here, close to home.
When the care is close to home, patients and loved ones get to stay close. That’s what I see every day.
And donors like you help make that care possible.
Right now, your gift will go twice as far. Ben Scagnetti is matching gifts up to $25,000 in honour of his late wife, Helen.
Your gift helps make sure that every patient who walks through these doors, however scared, however unsure, gets the care they need to feel like themselves again.
This holiday season, while so many families are here instead of home, that kind of care matters more than ever.
A little bit of warmth can carry a family through the hardest weeks of the year.
Thank you for making care like this possible. For one more kid, one more patient, one more family, this season and beyond.